A Wichita resident shot and seriously wounded an apparently armed burglar Friday afternoon in what so far appears to be self-defense, a Wichita police official said.

The burglary suspect was taken in serious condition to a hospital after officers stopped a vehicle near Towne West Square matching the description of the car the burglar left in, police Lt. Brian White said. Two other people in that car are being interviewed and are considered to be involved in the burglary, White said.

The burglary victim, who was not injured, will also be interviewed, he said.

Both the burglary suspect and the burglary victim were described as adult men.

White gave this account:

About 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call of a burglary in progress near 13th Street and 135th Street West. Officers had a description of the car the burglar was thought to have left in; a matching vehicle was spotted a few miles from the burglary scene, and officers stopped the car just west of Towne West on Maple.

Police have the firearm thought to have been used to shoot the burglary suspect, White said. He wouldn’t say what kind of gun was involved.

He said preliminary information – and he stressed it was preliminary – indicated the burglary suspect was armed, but White wouldn’t elaborate. He said it appeared to be a self-defense shooting based on information early in the investigation.

At the scene near the mall, in the middle of Maple, officers were investigating an older Buick four-door sedan in an eastbound lane. Clothing was on the pavement by the car. The car had a large dent in the rear bumper and peeling paint on its hood.

At the burglary scene, in the 1000 block of North Firefly Circle, crime scene tape surrounded one front yard and crossed into one next door. Police blocked off the street; officers went about their work of securing and investigating the scene. Some wore gloves. Neighbors stood in clusters. It is a neighborhood of newer homes with three-car garages and lush lawns.

One neighbor, who asked not to be named for her security, said the wounded suspect apparently left blood drops on her driveway.

Another neighbor, who also asked not to be identified, said this would be about the fifth burglary on her block within the past year.